Martha’s Directors - Patrick & Eli

Patrick Walsh and Eli Wenger direct Martha’s Choice Marketplace & Community Farm, a community of more than 8,000 families, 13 staff members, and hundreds of amazing volunteers and partners. Overseeing Martha’s since 2016, they are enthusiastically leading the effort to cultivate an effective, community focused approach to addressing hunger in Montgomery County.

Our Team

  • Patrick came to anti-hunger work from the world of education, teaching Middle School English and History. He began work at Martha’s Choice Marketplace in 2015. He brings a passion for bringing out the best in all the members of a community and developing human centered programming that meets people’s needs with dignity and leads people to better understanding of one another.

  • Eli has spent his life focusing on how to build genuine community among people from all kinds of different backgrounds. He owned and managed Steel City Coffeehouse in Phoenixville Pa. from 2007-2016, focusing on the arts as a means to promote both individual growth and community empowerment. He hikes daily with his dog Willy, and can be usually be found playing banjo at any and all hours of the day.

  • Meredith brings nearly two decades of nonprofit fundraising expertise to Martha's Choice, with a proven track record of helping organizations exceed their goals across healthcare, arts, and social services sectors. She seeks to build meaningful relationships that inspire people to partner in sustainable philanthropy that creates lasting impact. Meredith is passionate about advancing Martha's Choice's mission of supporting our community's most vulnerable residents and is always happy to connect community members with meaningful opportunities to make a difference.


  • Jean volunteered at Martha’s for a couple of years before officially joining the team as Office & Guest Services Manager. She also has experience volunteering at a local hospice. Her career has been mainly in the insurance field, in various areas of Claims, Marketing and Human Resources. When she’s not trying to wrangle kittens – sometimes it can seem that way in the fast-paced and fun environment here at Martha’s – you can find her on long walks at a local park, enjoying music, spending time with family and friends, binge-watching tv shows, and cheering for her favorite football team. Go Birds!

  • Ameika possesses over a decade of experience in community support, development, and mental health advocacy programs working with HopeWorx Inc.  At Martha’s, she is working to continue building relationships and trust with the public, partner agencies, and community leaders with lived experience of food insecurity.

    She is a strong believer in everyone has something to bring to the table and that smiles, kindness, and respect can make a difference. Outside of work and volunteering, Ameika enjoys karaoke with friends, hiking with family, painting and gardening.

  • Jesse was born in 1976 as a seedling to the final speech of Tom Joad, “I’ll be ever’where- wherever you look.  Wherever there’s a fight so hungry people can eat I’ll be there….and when the people are eatin’ the stuff they raise and livin’ in the houses they build- I’ll be there too.”  Jesse has always felt a moral obligation to be of service to others, having worked with Trevor’s Campaign, AmeriCorps, CampHill Special Schools and as Board of Director’s member with the Red Cross in Philadelphia.  

    He brings his creative experience as a writer and a musician who plays drums and guitar, his operational experience as a General Manager and Real Estate Agent and his fluency in Spanish to work at the farm every day.  He also brings his sweet brindle dog Buster to work.  Buster serves as tail-wagger to the on-site welcoming unit.

  • Desiree is a former Pre-Kindergarten Teacher, saxophonist, and avid learner. She studied Political Science at Shippensburg University, then received her M.S. in Energy, Policy, and Climate at Johns Hopkins University. She loves to find different avenues to combat climate change on the local level that involve the communities. In 2024, she was the Watershed Education Fellow at the John James Audubon Center. In her free time, Desiree loves to crochet, sew, read manga, and fish.

  • Nery Lopez is a social entrepreneur with more than 30 years of experience working in NGO’s that offer projects in art, culture, education and social development for children and other vulnerable populations, communities, and schools. For the last 10 years, he’s worked as Producer, Scriptwriter and Music Video Editor, as well as audiovisual producer of education and social development. Nery moved to Philly with his family a couple years ago, and now has the fortune of being part of the beautiful and fulfilling mission of Martha's.

  • Mike studied at Cabrini University with a Major in Business Management where he learned about Martha’s Choice Marketplace. He was an intern before he joined the staff team. For fun, he enjoys making puns and trying new things.

  • Jake Summers is an arborist, mycophile, and musician. He earned a degree in Botany from Connecticut College, and recently worked at Jenkins Arboretum & Gardens as a Horticultural Fellow. He loves going on walks with his partner, Heather, and his dog, Beau.

  • Emma is a lifelong gardener, creative, and lover of nature. She studied Anthropology and Religious Studies at West Chester University and is grateful for the opportunity to bring her love for people, culture, community, and the Earth all together at Martha's Community Farm. When she is not working on building community connections at the farm through events, workshops, volunteers, and social media, you can find her out enjoying nature, spending time in her own garden, trying out a new recipe in the kitchen, or working in her pottery studio.

  • As the Guest Registration Coordinator, Dave Applegate smiles, a lot, because making sure healthy food gets into the hands of our guests is joyful work. When Dave is away from the farm and pantry, he is a family man, member of Frazer Mennonite Church, and student at Palmer Theological Seminary. He likes listening to and playing/singing all kinds of music, being outdoors, thinking deep thoughts, and taking in great film and literature.

  • Someday Ryan will be fighting fires and saving lives, but for now he unloads trucks and entertains us all with cockeyed glasses and brilliant British accents

  • Besides helping to grow relationships between Martha’s and our wonderful neighbors, Kate enjoys spending time with her many children, bossing her husband around and fantasizing about taking an afternoon nap. Working at Martha's has been a great blessing to Kate and she's grateful for the opportunity to be part of such a beautiful team of people who truly care about their community and each other.

  • Bishoy was born and raised in Egypt, and came to America in 2022. He was an English major at Assiut University in Egypt, and now studies Computer Science at Montgomery County Community College. He’s 24, into pyramids and is really funny.